US


Intensive talks to solve disagreement over free trade agreement
Intensive talks between Egypt and the USA, especially on intellectual property, are currently take place as a preliminary step toward concluding a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
US-Swiss free-trade deal "extremely valuable"
An independent report says a free-trade accord between Switzerland and the United States would have "extremely valuable benefits" for both countries.
Saudi Arabia accession to WTO (2005)
Information sheets from USTR
Bahrain societies flay move to normalise ties with Israel
Nineteen societies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have rapped moves to normalise relations with Israel and called for joint national and regional efforts to abort the US-initiated Broader Middle East project.
Thailand's bilateral trade pacts face mixed reception
Thailand has been aggressively negotiating bilateral and regional trade agreements in the face of the uncertainty over whether the WTO will reach a deal on liberalizing global trade. But the agreements fail to live up to expectations of increased trade and investment.
The importance of the FTA to Thailand
Ambassador Nitya Pibulsonggram, the chief negotiator for the Thailand-US Free Trade Agreement, spoke to AMCHAM members on May 25, 2005 about the importance of the FTA to Thailand.
Disagreement over data protection holding up US-Andean FTA
Ecuador's opposition to US demands on access to test data for clinical drug trials has emerged as a primary obstacle in the ongoing free trade agreement (FTA) talks between the US and a group of three Andean countries.
Democrats press labor ahead of Bahrain FTA vote
US Democrats pressed Bahrain on Thursday to change its labor laws before an expected vote in Congress this year on a bilateral free trade pact with the tiny kingdom known as the Gulf's banking hub.
The price of going to market
Last year was the tenth anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and nearly all evaluations of the agreement conceded that the period showed negligible or negative results for Mexico. As the developing country partner of the agreement, Mexico's experience under NAFTA has major implications for other developing nations negotiating FTA's, particularly with the United States.
Proposed RP-US FTA may center on telecom and financial sectors
In a recent round table discussion sponsored by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, the service industries - specifically the telecommunication and the finance sectors - were tackled as two of the crucial areas where the Philippines can have the best potential if the FTA agreement with the US pushes through.